What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

For one, it is being disabled because I have to allow myself time to think of things to say. My brain is damaged from a bullet and there is still half of a bullet fragment in my brain. So I am a slow thinker and slow a lot of other ways. So I cannot rush myself to think, or else I get frustrated and can’t think at all. I have to accommodate myself and allow myself time  to arrive at an answer, when I arrive at it.

Working allowed me to grow and meet people that were friendly towards me. Especially, working at Americorps. It is a program where I did community service or volunteer in the community, such as  at New beginnings (homeless shelter for women and children). I would get paid through Americorps. The way it works, I would do 4500 hours of service. Once, I completed the hours, l was awarded an education award of $9,500. I could apply the education award to any University of my choosing, which allowed me to get my Bachelor’s in Social work. It was a program through President Clinton in the early 2000s.

Going to college also helped me grow because in turn reading, taking tests, meeting deadlines for paperwork speeches. It helped me learn to become more responsible as an adult and prioritize what was the most important thing to do first. No one wants a bad grade for a course because then I might have to take it over. So I worked hard to perfect the college work.

I lost a dear friend that I used to play music with to drinking beer. This really hurt because we used to play music at bars. He would play guitar and I would sing and play a shaker. It was quite cool. I just never got over his death because he played guitar really well. This experience taught me to stand on my own two feet and do things for myself. If someone likes what I do, they can join me or vice versa.

In conclusion, the disability helped me grow because I had to see the world with one arm and a limp and also a damaged brain. I had to learn to accommodate it. Working also helped me grow and get things done for the company I worked for. Going to college, helped me grow so that I could prioritize what was most important and meet deadlines. Finally, losing my friend who played guitar was a big wake up call that no one lasts forever. We all die one day sad but true. Thank you for reading.